


Naruto: A Bouquet's Journey

by YenGirl



Category: Naruto
Genre: Bride-to-be, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Possible OOC-ness, minor OCs - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 06:26:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28808814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YenGirl/pseuds/YenGirl
Summary: Hello again, everyone!I'm taking part in the Flowers Show Me the Love One Shot Challenge organised by fellow writer fanofthisfiction. Please hop over to her profile on FFN to read more about it and check out the other participating writers. I only ask that if you do read their stories, to please leave a review as a mark of appreciation.Summary: A bridal bouquet's journey from its creator, to its messenger, to its receiver.Appreciation: Thank you to fanofthisfiction for inviting me to her Flowers challenge!Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.
Relationships: Hyuuga Hinata/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	Naruto: A Bouquet's Journey

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again, everyone!
> 
> I'm taking part in the Flowers Show Me the Love One Shot Challenge organised by fellow writer fanofthisfiction. Please hop over to her profile on FFN to read more about it and check out the other participating writers. I only ask that if you do read their stories, to please leave a review as a mark of appreciation.
> 
> Summary: A bridal bouquet's journey from its creator, to its messenger, to its receiver.
> 
> Appreciation: Thank you to fanofthisfiction for inviting me to her Flowers challenge!
> 
> Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

\- Story Start -

It was a lovely spring day with just enough sunlight to soften the bite of winter still lingering in the crisp air. The sakura trees were in full bloom. There was a festive feel in the Hidden Leaf Village as it got ready to celebrate the wedding of Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuuga.

Inside the Yamanaka Flower Shop, Ino was darting around her worktable, putting the finishing touches to her morning's work; adding a flower here or tweaking a leaf there and then moving back to see the effect.

She had been working on this all important project since six o'clock in the morning. Actually, she had started on it four weeks ago, but the results were well worth it, if she did say so herself. Definitely worth a pricked finger or two - or four with the bandages to prove it! - and two very stiff shoulders.

Taking a final look at her hard work, she sucked in a deep breath and let it out in a one long _whoosh_. She rolled her head from side to side, wincing a bit as her tight muscles protested.

But Hinata Hyuuga's bridal bouquet was completed and Ino swore it was one of her best works yet!

Hinata was going to wed the man of her dreams tomorrow, the man she had been in love with since they were both children. It had taken a long time, but Naruto finally opened his eyes and realised his heart belonged to the gentle Hyuuga girl, a talented kunoichi in her own right.

A month ago, Naruto had commissioned the Yamanaka Flower Shop to create Hinata's bridal bouquet. He had paid almost double the price, requesting something unique, memorable and well, large. It had taken Ino a week to design it on paper, working on it at night after the shop was closed. It had taken another two weeks to purchase all the flowers and plants she needed and didn't have in stock, carefully preserved in special sealing scrolls.

She was confident Naruto would be satisfied over the outcome while Hinata would be over the moon!

With a happy sigh, Ino wound a silver ribbon around the handle at the back of the bouquet, allowing it to be carried securely and comfortably. Then she lifted it, eyebrows going up. It was two feet in length and weighed almost seven pounds with the wooden frame. But it was so magnificent that surely no bride would mind toting it around on her special day.

Right?

Ignoring that small dent in her triumph, Ino placed the bouquet back on the table and gave it a final look over and spritz of water. It was a gorgeous concoction of roses, calla lilies, orchids, daisies, carnations, and many others including green ferns and leaves.

"Ino!" Sakura's shout at the door made Ino turn.

"Yup, it's ready! What do you think?"

"It's... it's..." Sakura stepped inside the shop, hands clasped under her chin, eyes like pink heart shapes.

Huh. And here Ino thought Sakura only looked like _that_ when staring at Sasuke Uchiha.

"IT'S _GORGEOUS!_ "

"Mind yelling a little louder?" Ino preened, grinning from ear to ear. "I don't think they heard over in the Sand Village."

\- o -

It took a few minutes for Sakura to wrap her head around the sheer size of the bouquet and the number of flowers, leaves and plants Ino had worked in. She also ooh-ed and ahh-ed over the dozen little posies attached to the bottom of the bouquet, each comprising of one yellow rosebud, one pink rosebud and a fern, all tied together with a thin silver ribbon.

By then, Ino - pink faced at all the compliments and laughing - was ready to push her out the door.

"Alright, that's enough! Hinata's eager to see the bouquet. Get going already!"

"Al _right_ , I'm going!"

"And be careful with it!"

"I will!"

\- o -

Hinata was the first kunoichi in their group to get engaged and would be the first to get married tomorrow.

Sakura still felt every inch a bride as she headed for the Hyuuga compound on the other side of town. She had to carry the bouquet high enough that the posies didn't drag on the ground and she had to walk carefully to ensure she didn't trip. She ended up walking like a bride, slow and stately. That being the case, she might as well imagine she _was_ one with everyone looking on as she made her way to her husband-to-be.

Sasuke Uchiha, of course.

She could see him standing right before her, dressed in a formal male kimono, eyes half lidded and intense, his entire being focused on her and no one else. Those sneering lips would be softened, the corners tilted upwards in the tiniest of-

"... hurts! Waaaaa, I want my mummy!"

Sakura blinked. Sasuke disappeared with a poof. So did the approving guests. She was standing in the middle of the road as passers by sneaked admiring looks at the bouquet she carried.

Looking around, Sakura followed the sound of crying and found a little girl about three or four years old in a small lane beside a grassy field, dotted with sakura flowers from a few nearby trees. She was sitting on the ground and scrubbing at her eyes. Sakura hurried over and crouched down, carefully laying the huge bouquet on the grass.

"Hello there, what happened?"

"I was looking at the flowers when I fell down. My knee hurts! ! I want my mummy!"

Sakura checked the grazed knee.

"It's a small cut. Don't worry, I'm a medic-nin so I can heal it. Will you let me?"

"Uh-huh."

It was the work of two minutes to clean and heal the wound. It only took a few seconds for the patient to start asking questions about the bouquet.

"It's a bridal bouquet for one of my best friends," Sakura explained.

"The flowers are so pretty and they smell so nice!"

"Yes, they do. There, all done!"

The little girl stared at her knee where only a pink line remained which Sakura assured her would fade after a few days. Then she got up and bowed.

"Thank you, onee-chan!"

"You're welcome!" Sakura stood up as well and brushed off her clothes. Her gaze caught on the dozen of tiny posies at he bottom of the bouquet, as if added as a last minute thought. But Ino never did anything last minute which meant...

On an impulse, Sakura carefully detached one of them and handed it to the girl.

"This is for you."

"But... won't your friend mind?"

Sakura smiled and shook her head.

"Hinata Hyuuga is one of the kindest and gentlest people I know. She'll be happy I gave you something from her bouquet"

After making sure the little girl knew how to get home, Sakura continued on her way. She had walked perhaps five minutes when someone approached her. It was a young man dressed in a thin coat and trousers, hands twisting nervously.

"Excuse me, miss. Are you a florist?"

"Oh no, I'm just bringing - never mind. Can I help you?"

"Yes, please. Could you point out the direction of the Konoha Hospital?"

Sakura shifted the bouquet to the side and peered at his arms and legs.

"Are you injured? Not feeling well?"

"Ah, I'm fine." The young man gave a sheepish smile, but his eyes remained worried. "I'm from a small village a few miles away. My mother fell and hurt her leg yesterday while I was working in the field. A kind neighbour brought her to the hospital here."

"What's her name?"

"Tadaro Ninjin."

"What a coincidence! I treated a Tadaro-san yesterday. She has a sprained ankle. I'm a medic, by the way. Sakura Haruno."

"Thank you, Haruno-san." The young man bowed. "You have my deepest gratitude."

"You're welcome. Don't worry, your mum will be fine, but she needs to rest for a week. Do you see that big white building over there? That's the Konoha Hospital."

"Thank you again!"

Seeing as the young man wasn't carrying anything but an old basket with a food container inside, Sakura detached another posy from the bouquet and handed it to him.

"You can give this to your mother."

"T-thank you!" The young man stammered and bowed again, blushing. "I brought her some food that my neighbour's wife cooked, but I didn't have enough-"

"It's alright," Sakura told him. "She'd be happy to see you even if you didn't bring anything. I'll check on her later this evening."

"Thank you so much!"

\- o -

By the time Sakura reached the other side of town almost forty five minutes later, she had made several stops and given away a few more posies.

The third one went to Ayame who darted out of Ichiraku's as soon as she saw the bouquet, starry eyed with dishcloth still in hand, She thanked Sakura for the posy and tucked it above her ear.

The fourth one went to a crotchety old woman who grumbled at Sakura for helping to pick up her dropped groceries and then grudgingly thanked her. She reminded Sakura of the late Lady Chiyo.

The fifth one went to Iruka who was overseeing a shuriken throwing session in the Academy grounds. He turned three shades of pink - one of them the exact shade of Sakura's hair - when she declared he was the best teacher _ever_.

The sixth one was for Konohamaru when she almost bowled him over after turning a corner. When he asked her why he was getting flowers, she grinned and said it was because he had grown up so nicely compared to the loud brat he had been, always trailing after Naruto and challenging him. Konohamaru scratched the back of his head and turned even pinker than Iruka did.

The seventh posy went to Kakashi who was standing, hands in trouser pockets, before the Memorial Stone near Training Ground Three. When he asked her what was he supposed to do with it, she told him to give it to Gai sensei. He just blinked at her before poofing away in a cloud of chakra smoke.

But every recipient thanked Sakura for the flowers and she told each and every of them that they were a gift from Hinata Hyuuga.

\- o -

By the time Sakura reached the Hyuuga compound, there were only four posies left.

Hinata opened the door herself and practically dragged Sakura inside, bouquet and all. She was speechless at it and said amid happy tears that she would reprimand Naruto tomorrow for wasting his hard earned money. Hanabi looked impressed while Hiashi's eyes almost popped out at how much his new son-in-law must have spent.

As they sat down to tea and freshly made dango, Sakura related how she had given away each posy on her walk here. Hinata's eyes grew wet again and, just as Sakura had predicted, was ecstatic that more people had shared in her joy. She declared Ino and Sakura were both geniuses, one for attaching those additional flowers and the other for realising they could be given away without damaging the main bouquet itself.

Detaching the final four, Hinata handed one to her father and one to Hanabi before going over to the side table on which stood a collection of framed family photos. She laid the second last one before a photo of Neji Hyuuga with a soft, "This is for you, Neji-nii-san."

Then she went back to Sakura and gave her the last one with a hug and a wish that she too would be a bride very soon.

\- Story End -

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment if you enjoyed it and take care :)


End file.
